RESUMO
This study aimed at finding the possible immediate metabolic changes that may in the neonate of diabetic mother subjected to operative delivery under either general anesthesia or epidural analgesia. The study was carried out on 40 pregnant females undergoing elective caesarean section. Half of the cases were diabetic under control by oral hypoglycaemic drugs and the other half were non diabetic [control group]. In each of the studied group half of the patients undergoing caesarean section under general anesthesia, the other half under epidural analgesia. After labor a blood sample was taken from the umbilical cord of each neonate for the following: Serum blood glucose, serum insulin, corticosteroid and glycerol [as indirect index of catecholamines]. The same investigations were repeated after 4 hours. From this study, it can be concluded that foetus born after cesarean section to diabetic mothers have significantly high glucose and corticosteroids level than foetus born to non diabetic mothers. Insulin level did not show significant change. Epidural anesthesia was found to cause a significant low level of glycerol than general anesthesia due to reduction of stress response